B&Bs

Tom said:

What is the correct way to approach a B&B? Do you walk in the door?
Do you knock first? Does it vary from country to country (Ireland is
the place I'm thinking of for the present)?

It's usually someone's home, so the first time you should always knock
unless there's a sign indicating otherwise.

R

Tom said:

What is the correct way to approach a B&B? Do you walk in the door?
Do you knock first? Does it vary from country to country (Ireland is
the place I'm thinking of for the present)?

the best way is to book through the local tourist information
office. they will call around and ask each b&b if they have
vacancies and can check on the rate. the tourist bureau usually
gets a small commission but they save you a lot of work.

if it's an isolated b&b in the country, you definitely need to
knock or more often, ring the bell. remember that b&b landladies
are not always in if you just drop by --- it's not a full time
occupation.